Today we're heading to Georgia — a country where food is not just food, but a philosophy of hospitality and generosity. We'll make two iconic dishes that Georgians have been cooking for centuries: a delicate spring stew and hearty beans with spices.
🍖 Chakhokhbili
A spring Georgian stew made with young lamb or veal, sour tkemali plums, herbs, and white wine. The meat simmers until tender, soaking up the tart-spicy sauce with tarragon — the dish turns out refreshing and aromatic.
Ingredients:
• Lamb (shoulder or brisket) — 1 kg
• Green plums (cherry plums or unripe plums) — 300 g
• Dry white wine — 200 ml
• Green onions — 1 large bunch (150 g)
• Fresh tarragon — 1 bunch (30 g)
• Fresh cilantro — 1 bunch (50 g)
• Parsley — 0.5 bunch
• Garlic — 5 cloves
• Salt — to taste
• Ground black pepper — 0.5 tsp
Preparation:
1. Chop the lamb into 4–5 cm pieces along with the bone (if present). Rinse with cold water, pat dry with paper towels. In a thick-bottomed pot or kazan, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Lay out the meat in a single layer and sear for 7–8 minutes, turning, until all sides are covered with a golden crust. The meat should easily release from the bottom.
2. Cut the green onions into 3–4 cm lengths (both white and green parts). Add to the meat, stir, and simmer for 3 minutes until the onions soften — they'll become translucent and settle down. Pour in the white wine, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes to evaporate the alcohol — the smell of spirits will disappear.
3. Rinse the plums, remove the pits, cut each into 4 pieces. Add to the meat along with 100 ml hot water. Salt (about 1 tsp), pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to minimum, and braise for 40–50 minutes. The meat should pierce easily with a fork but not fall apart.
4. Coarsely chop the tarragon, cilantro, and parsley (use the stems too — they have lots of flavor). Crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife and finely chop. 10 minutes before done, add all the herbs and garlic to the pot, stir. Continue braising covered. The sauce should thicken slightly, and the tarragon aroma should fill the kitchen.
5. Taste for salt — chakhokhbili should be moderately sour and salty. If the plums are very sour, add a pinch of sugar. Remove from heat, let stand covered for 10 minutes. Serve hot with lavash or boiled potatoes — you must soak up the sauce with bread.
💡 Fact: Chakhokhbili is traditionally made for Easter from young lamb and the first spring greens. The name comes from the word 'chakapа' — what Georgians call the crackling and sizzling of meat in a pan.
🫘 Lobio
A thick Georgian dish made with red beans, walnut dressing, aromatic herbs, and spices. The beans cook down to a creamy texture, soaking up the flavors of cilantro, garlic, and khmeli-suneli — hearty, warm, and incredibly delicious.
Ingredients:
• Red beans (canned works) — 400 g dried or 800 g canned
• Onions — 2 medium heads
• Walnuts — 100 g
• Fresh cilantro — 1 large bunch (70 g)
• Garlic — 4 cloves
• Khmeli-suneli — 2 tsp
• Ground coriander — 1 tsp
• Ground paprika — 1 tsp
• Wine vinegar (or apple cider) — 1 tbsp
• Vegetable oil — 3 tbsp
• Salt — to taste
• Black pepper — 0.5 tsp
Preparation:
1. If using dried beans: soak for 8–12 hours in cold water (they'll double in size). Drain, rinse, cover with fresh water (3 times the volume of beans), and cook over medium heat for 1–1.5 hours until soft — the beans should mash easily between your fingers. Salt 10 minutes before done. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. If using canned — just drain the liquid, reserving 100 ml.
2. Dice the onions finely (3–4 mm sides). Heat a pan with vegetable oil over medium heat, add the onions, and sauté for 7–8 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden and soft — the onions should become translucent and taste sweet.
3. Add the khmeli-suneli, coriander, and paprika to the onions. Stir and heat for 30–40 seconds until the spices release their aroma — you'll smell an intense spicy fragrance. Remove from heat immediately so the spices don't burn.
4. Grind the walnuts in a blender or mortar to a coarse crumb (not to a paste). Press the garlic through a press or finely chop. Coarsely chop the cilantro along with the tender stems. Mix the walnuts, garlic, and half the cilantro with the onion-spice mixture.
5. Mash the beans with a masher or fork — roughly half into puree, half leave as whole beans for texture. Add the walnut mixture, wine vinegar, reserved cooking liquid (or water), and stir. Heat over low heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the consistency of sour cream — lobio should slowly slide off the spoon.
6. Taste for salt and acidity — add more vinegar or salt if needed. Remove from heat, add the remaining cilantro, stir. Serve hot or warm with mchadi (cornbread), pickled vegetables, and fresh onions. Lobio keeps well in the fridge for 3–4 days and tastes even better the next day.
💡 Fact: The word 'lobio' in Georgian simply means 'beans'. There are over 20 regional variations of this dish — with meat, with eggs, with green beans, but the classic red lobio with walnuts is considered the standard of Georgian home cooking.